From San Francisco to New York and Milan, cities all around the world have hosted climate gatherings annually.
Now it's San Diego’s turn.
The inaugural San Diego Climate Week begins on Wednesday and runs through Oct. 8. It features more than 100 community-led events around the county, most of which are free.
“Our mission is just to create space for collaboration, education and action that accelerates local climate solutions and strengthens resilience in our communities,” said Erika Rodriguez, chair of the organizing committee at San Diego Climate Week.
The event kicks off at 5 p.m. with a community bike ride led by BikeSD from Trolley Barn Park in University Heights to Balboa Park, followed by a 7 p.m. panel discussion on clean air at the Mingei International Museum.
One of Climate Week’s anchor events focuses on learning environmental stewardship from Indigenous leaders. The 5-hour event, led by several organizations such as Red Earth Movement and Mundo Gardens, starts at 11 a.m. at the Water Conservation Garden in El Cajon.
“They're going to be bringing the indigenous perspective around caring for the earth, restoring the land, and regenerating the soil together,” said Jillian Quint, an event organizer.
Another key event includes the free premiere of the film, “The Threads Between Us," which highlights the stories of three local sustainable businesses — Dr. Bronner’s, Jimbo’s Naturally and San Diego Goodwill. It’s scheduled at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday at Coastal Roots Farm in Encinitas.
Other events include a youth art exhibit, a vegan night market, a beer launch to help protect sea turtles, and a panel discussion about the ongoing cross-border sewage crisis, which has affected people’s quality of life on both sides of the United States-Mexico border.
Rodriguez, who manages a communications firm with a focus on climate action, said planning around the first Climate Week in San Diego started in January amid federal funding cuts designated for environmental and climate action projects nationwide.
“I couldn’t really control anything on the federal level,” she said. “So, then I tapped into what we can do locally. What’s hyperlocal that we can do here in San Diego?”
“I created a Google form and just asked people who would be interested in bringing climate week to San Diego,” she added.
The interest was much larger than she had anticipated. Organizations like San Diego Coastkeeper, the Sierra Club, the Climate Action Campaign and dozens of others signed up to participate one way or another.
Quint said it makes sense for San Diego to host a climate week.
“San Diego is the most biodiverse county in America,” she said.
Organizers hope that the event will be annual.
“Obviously, this is just one week,” Rodriguez said. “But again, I guess like that ripple effect, it's just that hopefully someone gets introduced to a new nonprofit, they could be volunteering with them all year long, or if it is that they go to an event and they watch a film, then they can have some sort of call to action to get involved. And I hope that people feel inspired with Climate Week.”
On Tuesday, the San Diego City Council proclaimed Oct. 1-8 as San Diego Climate Week.
For a full list of San Diego Climate Week events, visit sdclimateweek.com.
